The Parable of the Vineyard Owner121Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2At harvest time he sent a slave to the farmers to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from the farmers. 3But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4Again he sent another slave to them, and they[B]12:4 Other mss add threw stones andhit him on the head and treated him shamefully.[C]12:4 Other mss add and sent him off5Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; they beat some and they killed some.6“He still had one to send, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’7“But those tenant farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.9“Therefore, what will the owner[D]12:9 Or lordof the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10Haven’t you read this Scripture:Thestone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.[E]12:10 Lit the head of the corner11This came from the Lordand is wonderful in our eyes?”[F]12:10-11 Ps 118:22-2312Because they knew He had said this parable against them, they were looking for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd. So they left Him and went away.God and Caesar13Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Him to trap Him by what He said.[G]12:13 Lit trap Him in (a) word14When they came, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know You are truthful and defer to no one, for You don’t show partiality[H]12:14 Lit don’t look on the face of men; that is, on the outward appearance but teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15Should we pay, or should we not pay?”But knowing their hypocrisy, He said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.”16So they brought one. “Whose image and inscription is this?” He asked them.“Caesar’s,” they said.17Then Jesus told them, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.The Sadducees and the Resurrection18Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and questioned Him: 19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaves his wife behind, and leaves no child,his brother should take the wifeand produce offspring for his brother.[I]12:19 Gn 38:8; Dt 25:520There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying, left no offspring. 21The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22So the seven[J]12:22 Other mss add had taken her and left no offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. 23In the resurrection, when they rise,[K]12:23 Other mss omit when they rise whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”[L]12:23 Lit the seven had her as a wife24Jesus told them, “Are you not deceived because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. 26Now concerning the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him: Iam the God of Abrahamand the God of Isaacand the God of Jacob?[M]12:26 Ex 3:6,15-1627He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are badly deceived.”The Primary Commandments28One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?”[N]12:28 Lit Which command is first of all?29“This is the most important,”[O]12:29 Other mss add of all the commandments Jesus answered:Listen, Israel! The Lordour God, the Lordis One.[P]12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord.30Lovethe Lord your Godwith all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,and with all your strength.[Q]12:30 Other mss add This is the first commandment.[R]12:30 Dt 6:4-5; Jos 22:531“The second is: Love your neighboras yourself.[S]12:31 Lv 19:18There is no other command greater than these.”32Then the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher! You have correctly said that He is One, and there is no one else except Him. 33And to love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding,[T]12:33 Other mss add with all your soul and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”34When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any longer.The Question about the Messiah35So Jesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the Son of David? 36David himself says by the Holy Spirit:The Lorddeclared to my Lord,‘Sit at My right handuntil I put Your enemies under Your feet.’[U]12:36 Ps 110:137David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?” And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.Warning against the Scribes38He also said in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes, and who want greetings in the marketplaces, 39the front seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”The Widow’s Gift41Sitting across from the temple treasury, He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. 42And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.[V]12:42 Lit dropped in two lepta, which is a quadrans; the lepton was the smallest and least valuable Gk coin in use. The quadrans, ¹/₆₄ of a daily wage, was the smallest Roman coin.43Summoning His disciples, He said to them, “I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. 44For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed—all she had to live on.”